This post was written by Pete Wailes of Searchlight Digital.

There was a post on YOUmoz recently about link building via article submissions. The author of it was taken to task, partly for submitting something that has debatable worth, but moreso for being self-promotional with it. [Note from Rebecca: This post was deleted upon the author's request; otherwise, I'd have linked to it.]

As a result, I thought I'd write a short guide for anyone thinking of doing something big in a community, such as submitting a post to a blog, starting a thread on a forum, or some similar thing.

Play in the Sandbox Before You Build Sandcastles

The biggest problem most people have when they join a community is they expect that what the people there think to be what they think. Sadly, this is often not the case. The best way to avoid annoying people is to spend a little while in the community first. Take a week or two to monitor the conversations that go on. See what people respond well to, and what they don't like so much. Watch the comments and see what the viewpoints people put forward are.

If you know the community, and their feelings on the topics you want to talk about, you can gauge how well those views will go down and potentially save yourself from a whole world of hurt.

If You Screw Up, Own Up

Some people will knock you no matter what you post. Fortunately however, these people tend to be a minority. So, if you get one person saying you've done something wrong, take not, but don't think it's the end of the world.

That said, if you've got ten responses, and more than three are not being supportive in some way, it's time to start the reputation management. First up, see if you've been misinterpreted. It could be that people have simply gotten the wrong end of the stick. If that's the case, post an update, edit or retract the offending part. Try and show people what you meant.

If, however, it's that a sizeable chunk of the community simply object to what you wrote, then maybe it's time to say sorry. Don't apologise for saying what you said, but do say sorry for any offense caused, and don't bother trying to outline why you believed it. It rarely works in real life, and never works online. Just accept that those people don't like what you had to say and move on.

Respect the Elders

This is a more minor point, but nevertheless it's still an important one. Not all people who tell you something are equal. As such, don't respond to them in the same way. If someone is an admin or a heavyweight in the community, show them a little respect. They've worked hard to get where they are and will expect you to recognise that. Not giving them that respect can lead to people being banned or turned on by the rest of the community. Take time to get to know the people higher up the chain, so if something does go wrong, you've got friends you can turn to to help calm the situation down.

Come Back Stronger

Finally, don't simply give up and never return. People can be fairly forgiving if you give them a chance. Admit you did something wrong, say you've learned from it, and show them you're serious by giving them something awesome.

Online communities are no different from real life ones; you just need to respect them, take the time to understand them, and build your presence one step at a time.